It didn’t matter that Earnhardt had nearly run Gordon into the fence while battling for positions earlier in the race. This was Earnhardt’s race to lose, and he would lose it if he didn’t get cooperation from the four-time Cup champion.

“It was up to me to either win it or ruin it,” Earnhardt said. “I was just nervous to get things done right. I had a great teammate with a ton of experience behind me and knew exactly what he needed to do.”

Gordon needed Earnhardt to get a good jump if Gordon himself would have any chance of staying ahead of the outside lane. So he did his job.

“I waved him that I was getting ready to mash the gas and gave him a head’s up and started rolling in the throttle,” Earnhardt said. “I waited to see him starting to close (to me), and I picked up the throttle up and he leaned on the bumper and away we went.

“We timed it perfectly.”

This wasn’t just a perfect push that helped win the Daytona 500. It was symbolic of the way Hendrick drivers Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne have pushed Earnhardt to improve. Their workout programs have pushed Earnhardt to get in better physical shape, shunning the cigarettes and cheeseburgers for a more healthy lifestyle.

They also have influenced Earnhardt’s approach on the track.

“That determination that Jimmie and Jeff and them have, I think he’s got that too,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “You don’t spend that much time in the coach debriefing with those guys that you don’t get a little bit of that. … You become a student of what you need to do and he’s done that.

“That’s a tremendous, tremendous change and nobody had to ask him. He did it on his own.”

Earnhardt has learned from them because of the great respect he has for his teammates. Gordon and Earnhardt’s father had several business ventures together. Johnson’s six Cup titles speak for themselves. Kahne is a relative newcomer to the team with new ideas. When they speak, Earnhardt listens. When they act, Earnhardt watches.

“Dad introduced me to Jeff on the first straightaway at North Wilkesboro one time, told me he was going to be great,” Earnhardt said. “Me and Kasey have been friends since when I started.

“You know all these people because you've been around them for so long. We're all in great stuff. Rick keeps everybody happy. We enjoy seeing each other doing well and enjoy working together.”

In a crew shakeup within Hendrick after the 2010 season, Earnhardt began working in what was the shop that housed the Johnson and Gordon cars. Gordon moved to the other shop, which at the time housed cars for Mark Martin and now does so for Kahne.

Even before that move, Earnhardt and Johnson were friends. When Earnhardt won his first race with Hendrick in June 2008 at Michigan, Johnson visited victory lane.

“The first thing I could think of to say to him is, ‘I'm a winner,’” Earnhardt said. “He said, ‘I know you are.’

“Jimmie has always been one of my biggest fans.”

It was Johnson who had needled Earnhardt that if Earnhardt won the Daytona 500, he should join Twitter. Earnhardt has joined it and now loves it — another thing that Johnson has taught Earnhardt more through actions than words. Earnhardt saw how Johnson interacted with the fans and how much his sponsors liked it that Earnhardt knew he couldn't avoid Twitter forever.

“With Junior I always just kind of reached out to him and let him know I was there if he wanted to talk about race cars, the team or really anything for that matter,” Johnson said. “With his personality, if you’re in his face a lot or telling him what you think or almost preaching to him — telling him what he should do — it’s not going to work out.

“In some ways, I’ve tried to lead by example and just do my thing. He is a very, very observant guy, especially with what goes on in our shop. That’s taken me awhile to pick up and understand, how much he pays attention to what I do, how I drive my car, the things I’m interested in, things I focus on.”

Maybe it’s a little payback for all the advice Earnhardt gave him before they were even teammates.

“I've known him for a very long time, before he was a champion, when he was just getting started, he was wondering what kind of motorhome to buy,” Earnhardt said.

“It's been a long road for both of us. He enjoys seeing me do well and I feel the same way about him. … We feed off of their success. I think they do the same with us. Hopefully we can continue that.”